Laundry machine

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a laundry machine. The laundry machine has the entire side surface not implemented as a cover of stainless steel but implemented as a double structure of a side panel and a side cover of stainless steel that is attached onto the side panel. Thus, the laundry machine can have the excellent appearance by the side cover of stainless steel. And, it is capable of reducing the material cost by using the side panel for the interior. Further, since the side surface thereof is implemented as the double structure of the side panel and the side cover having different frequencies from each other, it is capable of absorbing and attenuating noise and vibration generated while the laundry machine is operated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a laundry machine (e.g., washingmachine, clothing dryer, dryer and washing machine, etc.), and moreparticularly, to a cover forming an appearance of a laundry machine

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a cover forming an appearance of a laundry machine is formedof steel. And, the cover undergoes a drawing process into a proper shapeand then a coating process for preventing corrosion.

Recently, required is the washing machine to have a metallic-coloredappearance. However, when the cover of the steel is directly usedwithout the coating process, the cover may be easily corroded. For thisreason, it is required to use a cover formed of another material insteadof steel.

The present applicant applies a cover formed of stainless steel that ismetallic-colored and hardly corroded even in a state that it does notundergo the coating process to a laundry machine, considering that thelaundry machine frequently comes in contact with water. And, a pluralityof inventions regarding this are currently applied.

Meanwhile, the stainless steel has drawbacks not enough to be used asthe cover forming the appearance of the laundry machine due to its workhardening characteristic (particularly, when the cover is formed in acomplex shape or when a front surface of the laundry machine isintegrated with a side surface thereof, the cover may be curled by aspring back). In order to solve these problems, one of STS 300 grouphaving a low spring back is used to form the cover.

However, when the cover of the laundry machine is formed of thestainless steel, since the stainless steel is relatively expensive, amaterial cost still remains as a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention is directed to providing a laundrymachine having a cover formed of stainless steel in a lowered materialcost.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein,there is provided a laundry machine comprising: a side panel, and a sidecover formed of stainless steel and coupled to an exterior of the sidepanel.

The side panel is provided with noise attenuation member mountinggrooves. And, preferably, noise attenuation members are respectivelyinserted into the noise attenuation member mounting grooves thus toattenuate vibration and noise generated while the laundry machine isoperated.

Preferably, the side cover is coupled to the side panel by a hook and/oradhered thereto. To this end, a hook groove is provided at an upper endof the side panel, and the side cover is provided with a hook insertedinto the hook groove. Here, preferably, a double-sided tape or anadhesive agent is used to perform the adhesion.

Alternately, preferably, the side cover is coupled to the side panel byscrews. To this end, the screws are coupled to the side cover at aninner side of the side panel, the side cover is provided with aplurality of protrusions, and the side panel is provided with aplurality of insertion grooves for inserting the protrusions thereinto,preferably. Here, through holes through which the screws pass arerespectively formed at the insertion grooves, and the protrusions areprovided with screw grooves to which the screws are coupled, preferably.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a laundry machine comprising: a cabinet, a front cover coveringa front surface of the cabinet, a top cover covering an upper surface ofthe cabinet, a side cover covering a side surface of the cabinet, and aside panel installed at an inner side of the side cover, wherein thefront cover and the side cover are formed of stainless steel, and theside panel is formed of steel. Here, the front cover is integrallyformed by molding a stainless plate, and the side cover is formed ofstainless steel of STS 300 group having a low spring backcharacteristic, preferably.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a laundry machine comprising: a cabinet, a front coverformed of stainless steel and covering a front surface of the cabinet,and a double cover covering a side surface of the cabinet. Here, thedouble cover is formed by two kinds of material having different naturalfrequencies from each other, preferably.

The double cover comprises a side cover formed of stainless steel for anexterior and a side panel formed of steel and installed at an inner sideof the side cover, preferably.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention and together with the description serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a laundry machine in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing that a side cover of FIG. 1 is coupled to aside panel by a hook;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut view of A portion in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that a side cover of FIG. 1 is adhered to aside panel;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing that a side cover of FIG. 1 is coupled to aside panel by screws; and

FIG. 7 is a section view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will now be given in detail of the preferred embodiments ofthe present invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

Hereafter, a laundry machine in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a schematicview showing a laundry machine in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing that a side cover ofFIG. 1 is coupled to a side panel by a hook.

Referring to FIG. 1, the laundry machine in accordance with the presentinvention includes a front cover 20 forming a front surface of acabinet, a top cover 30 forming an upper surface thereof and a sidecover 90.

The front cover 20 and the side cover 90 have an excellent appearanceconsidering a design. They are respectively formed of stainless steel soas not to be corroded in spite of frequent contact with water. In orderto enhance a processability of the covers, a kind of the stainless steelin STS 300 group having a low spring back characteristic is used to formthe covers resulting from checking physical properties of several kindsof the stainless steel.

The front cover 20 is integrally formed resulting from molding astainless steel plate. The front cover 20 is provided with a centralportion provided with an inlet 21 at which a door 40 is mounted, anupper portion provided with an opening 22 at which a control panel 50and a detergent box 60 are installed, and a lower portion provided witha pump service hole 23 at which a pump cover 70 is installed. Throughthis pump service hole 23, a user can put his/her own hand into thelaundry machine so as to maintain a pump (not shown) installed in thelaundry machine.

Referring to FIG. 2, the side cover 90 is coupled to an exterior of aside panel 80 formed of steel. That is, the entire side surface of thelaundry machine is not implemented as the side cover 90 of the stainlesssteel, but implemented as a double structure of the side panel 80mounted therein and the side cover 90 of the stainless steel that isattached to the exterior of the side panel 80.

Accordingly, the appearance of the laundry machine becomes excellent byusing the side cover 90 of the stainless steel for its exterior. And,using the side panel 80 of steel for its interior, not the stainlesssteel, it is capable of reducing a material cost for the stainlesssteel.

Further, the side surface of the laundry machine is formed with thedouble structure of the side panel 80 and the side cover 90 havingproper vibrations different from each other, accordingly it is capableof absorbing and attenuating noise and vibration generated while thelaundry machine is operated.

Hereafter, various methods for coupling the side cover to the side panelwill be described. FIG. 3 is a partially cut view of A portion in FIG.2, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that a side cover of FIG. 1 is adhered toa side panel, and FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line V-V in FIG.4.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to couple the side cover 90 to theside panel 80 by a hook, a hook groove 81 is formed at an upper end ofthe side panel 80, and the side cover 90 is provided with a hook 91inserted into the hook groove 81. And, the top cover 30 is provided witha through groove 31 through which the hook 91 of the side cover 90passes. As the hook 91 of the side cover 90 passes through the throughgroove 31 and then inserted into the hook groove 81 of the side panel80, the upper end of the side cover 90 is firstly coupled to the sidepanel 80. Here, in order to smoothly insert the hook 91 into the hookgroove 81, as shown in FIG. 2, the hook 91 is inserted into the hookgroove 81 in a state that the side cover 90 is outwardly inclined fromthe side panel 80 by an angle of θ (approximately 17°) thus to allow alower end of the side cover 90 to be spaced from the side panel 80 by L(approximately 268 mm).

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the side cover 90 is secondly adheredto the side panel 80. To this end, a double-sided tape 95 is attachedbetween the side cover 90 and the side panel 80. An adhesive agent maybe used to adhere between the side cover 90 and the side panel 80,instead of the double-sided tape 95.

Finally, the side cover 90 and the side panel 80 are completely coupledto each other by screws positioned at 8 portions referred to as solidline arrows.

In the meantime, in order to attenuate vibration and noise generatedwhile the laundry machine is operated, noise attenuation member mountinggrooves 82 are formed at the side panel 80, and noise attenuationmembers 96 are respectively inserted into the noise attenuation membermounting grooves 82. Each noise attenuation member 82 is implemented asa sponge in this embodiment. However, if it can attenuate vibration andnoise, each noise attenuation member may be implemented as a rubber,etc.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing that a side cover of FIG. 1 is coupled to aside panel by screws, and FIG. 7 is a section view taken along lineVII-VII in FIG. 6.

As another coupling method, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the side cover90 is coupled to the side panel 80 by screws 97, not the double-sidedtape 95 (refer to FIG. 5). To this end, the side cover 90 is providedwith a plurality of protrusions 92. The protrusions 92 are formed as aseparate member and attached to the side cover 90 using the double-sidedtape or the adhesive agent. The protrusions 92 are respectively providedwith screw grooves 92 a to which the screws 97 are respectively coupled.

The side panel 80 is provided with a plurality of insertion grooves 83for inserting the protrusions 92 thereinto in correspondence to theprotrusions 92. The insertion grooves 83 are respectively provided withthrough holes 83 a through which the screws 97 pass.

With such configuration, the screws 97 are respectively coupled to thescrew grooves 92 a of the protrusions 92 at an inner side of the sidepanel 80 through the through holes 83 a. Accordingly, the screws 97 arenot outwardly exposed.

Else, when the side cover 90 is coupled to the side panel 80, it may bepossible to use the hook, the double-sided tape, the adhesive agent, thescrew, etc., alternately and simultaneously.

As aforementioned, in the laundry machine in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention, the entire side surface of thelaundry machine is not implemented as the cover formed of the stainlesssteel, but implemented as the double structure in which the side paneland the side cover of the stainless steel that is attached onto the sidepanel are coupled to each other. Accordingly, by the side cover of thestainless steel for the exterior, the laundry machine can have theexcellent appearance. And, by using the side panel that is not formed ofthe stainless steel for the interior, it is capable of reducing thematerial cost. Further, the side surface of the laundry machine isimplemented as the double structure of the side panel and the side coverhaving proper vibrations different from each other, accordingly it iscapable of absorbing and attenuating noise and vibration generated whilethe laundry machine is operated.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and arenot to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The presentteachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Thisdescription is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scopeof the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods,and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described hereinmay be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments.

As the present inventive features may be embodied in several formswithout departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also beunderstood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by anyof the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified,but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined inthe appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications thatfall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of suchmetes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appendedclaims.

1. A laundry machine comprising: a side panel; and a side cover formedof stainless steel and coupled to an exterior of the side panel.
 2. Thelaundry machine of claim 1, wherein the side cover is coupled to theside panel by a hook and/or adhered thereto.
 3. The laundry machine ofclaim 2, wherein a hook groove is provided at an upper end of the sidepanel, and the side cover is provided with a hook inserted into the hookgroove.
 4. The laundry machine of claim 2, wherein a double-sided tapeor an adhesive agent is used to perform the adhesion.
 5. The laundrymachine of claim 1, wherein the side panel is provided with noiseattenuation member mounting grooves, and noise attenuation members arerespectively inserted into the noise attenuation member mountinggrooves.
 6. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the side cover iscoupled to the side panel by screws.
 7. The laundry machine of claim 6,wherein the screws are coupled to the side cover at an inner side of theside panel.
 8. The laundry machine of claim 6, wherein the side cover isprovided with a plurality of protrusions, and the side panel is providedwith a plurality of insertion grooves for inserting the protrusionsthereinto.
 9. The laundry machine of claim 8, wherein through holesthrough which the screws pass are respectively formed at the insertiongrooves, and the protrusions are provided with screw grooves to whichthe screws are coupled.
 10. A laundry machine comprising: a cabinet; afront cover covering a front surface of the cabinet; a top covercovering an upper surface of the cabinet; a side cover covering a sidesurface of the cabinet; and a side panel installed at an inner side ofthe side cover, wherein the front cover and the side cover are formed ofstainless steel, and the side panel is formed of steel.
 11. The laundrymachine of claim 10, wherein the front cover is integrally formed of astainless plate.
 12. The laundry machine of claim 10, wherein the sidecover is formed of stainless steel of STS 300 group having a low springback characteristic.
 13. A laundry machine comprising: a cabinet; afront cover formed of stainless steel and covering a front surface ofthe cabinet; and a double cover covering a side surface of the cabinet.14. The laundry machine of claim 13, wherein the double cover is formedby two kinds of material having different natural frequencies from eachother.
 15. The laundry machine of claim 13, wherein the double covercomprises: a side cover formed of stainless steel for an exterior; and aside panel formed of steel and installed at an inner side of the sidecover.